Grain elevator



W. MCMEANS.

GRAIN ELEVATOR. APPLICATION FILED AHL-I3, 1920.

mmplm Pai-@nm om. 311, w22.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ttoznegy W. MCIVENS.

GRAIN ELEVATOR. APPLICATION FILED APH. I3, 1920.V

Patented 0G15. 3L'1l922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l (JWM/nazi -MCMEANS GRAIN EI.EVATOR APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, '1920.

Ih 3l 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Minimum/kwh @JWIN W. MCB/JEANS..

GRAIN ELEvAToB( APRLICATION FILED APH. I3, 1920- Lyl 3% 'mmm @on 311, 3922i,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

attanag- Patented @ein 3l, lig-)22 WILLIAM MCMEANS, F VTEST LIBERTY, IOWA.

GRAN ELEVAJEOR.

Application filed April .13, 1920. Serial N0, 873,484.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, il/intimi MoMnANs, a citizen of the United States, residing at lest Liberty, in the State of lowa, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Grain Elevators; and l do hereby7 declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in `grain elevators more especially of the type for elevating grain into bins in storing the same.

'll he invention has for its object primarily the elevating of the grain as it is removed from the transporting or portable means, directly to the storing bins.

.fr further object is to provide for facilitating the locating of the grain-hauling or transporting means preliminary to elevating the grain therefrom.

A still further object is to provide for readily adf ing the grain elevating` means and the grain-hauling means with respect thereto, for storing the grain in the bins.

il still further object is to provide for carrying out these purposes in a simple, ei.- pedttious and effective manner.

Other objects ofthe invention will be apparent from the following description of the construction and operation thereof.

The invention consists therefore of certain instrumentalities and features ofconstruction substantially as hereinafter more fully disclosed and defined by the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiment or one form of my invention wherein it will be understood that various changes and modifications thereof as relate to the detailed construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the in` vention as covered by the claims, and in which drawings- Figure l is a side Aelevation of my invention, certain parts thereof also being shown in dotted or hatched lines.

Figure 2 is a like view thereof with the parts in inoperative position, the grain c arrying means being outlined as when entering the portable driveway.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

.Figure 4 is a plan or top view of my invention or elevator.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 5 5 of Figure l.

Figure is a front elevation of elevator in extended or operative position.

Figure 'l' is an enlargelL fragmental view showing more particularly the grain receiving end of the elevator.

As characteristic features of my invention, l. provide a suitable frame-work designated generally as l, which may be of general rectangular outline and of any suitable material construction, it may be of metal or wood, and which frame-work is preferably portably mounted, as by means of rollers or trucks 2 preferably of relatively reduced diameter, and which frame-work may be termed as a drive-way for the purposes of my invention.

rit one end of the frame-work or driveway l is suitably provided a hoist 3 of the usual pivotal or swing-beam and block and tackle type, adapted particularly for tilting' the grain-loaded wagon or conveyance as indicated in full and dotted lines in Figure l, for dumping or transferring the grain contained therein into the elevator, as more fully presently made apparent. lt will be understood that the grain-loaded wagon is driven within the frame-work or drive-way and stopped with its tail-end adjacent outside the latter as seen in said Figure.

The elevator, designed generally as 1l, includes endless belts of buckets 5 adapted to travel upon transverse bars 6 suitably secured to opposite longitudinal side-members 'T particularly as seen in Figure 3. The endless belts of buckets comprise articulated or hinged together links or strips 8 bearing or directly conveying the buckets 5 and encompassing, and are driven by sprocket pulleys or wheels 9 whoseshafts 10, 10"L are suitably hung or journaled in bearings (not shown) within what is termed cboot ll, in this art at the entrance-end of the elevator and in bearings at the opposite end of said elevator, respectively. The shaft 10a is suitably supported in opposite bars, or supports l2 foldably mounted in position as seen in said Figures l and 2, the same being shown therein as adapted to be adjusted in upright and depressed vpositions as more respectively fully disclosed hereinafter, consequently providing for the raising or lowering the shaft 10a the purpose of which will be presently seen. The shaft 1()au has a. sprocket pulley 13 which is belted as at 14 to a like pulley 15 driven from a shaft 16, the latter being driven from a pulley 7 in practice belted to, and driven from a conveniently disposed motor or other source of power for raising and lowering the shaft 10a and accordingly the elevator proper or endless belts of buckets 5 for effecting the grain-elevation operation, in providing for .lifting the gra-in into a bin, the grain being delivered in the latter through a chute or spout 24 suitably attached to the upper end of the elevator.

The shaft 16, .by means of which the grain elevator is raised yand lowered is received within, and bears partially within the hollow shaft 18 and partially upon the frame-work 1, the shaft 18, of course, bearing in like manner upon the shaft 16 and upon said frame work. The supports 12 above referred to are attached to the shaft 18 and through it receive their foldable movement, the shaft 18, being provided with, and actuated preferably by a concavetoothed gear-wheel 19, meshing with a worm or spirally toothed shaft 2() suitably sup-- ported in position, and in practice, driven from a suitable source of power, said intergeared shaftsn gear and worm mechanism being disclosed in Figures 4, 5 and 6.

rlhe elevator-boot 10, which is preferably suspei'ided. from an upwardly extending member 21 of the frame-work 1 at the forward end thereof, is adapted to be raised and lowered, through block and tackle 22, as the elevator t is raised and lowered together with the tilting or dumping of the grain. loaded wagon through the block and tackle 23 and swing beam of the hoist 3 into either of the dotted or full lined positions, as indicated in Figure 1.

Having thus described my invention what 1 claim is l. In a grain elevator., the combination of a drive-way frame-work, an endless bucket elevating means, means for adjusting said elevating means into operative and inoperative position, means applied to the receiving end of said drive-way'frame-work for initially transferring the grain to said elevating means.,k and means cooperative with said frame-work rdrive-way for tilting a grain loaded conveyance to discharge the grain into said initially transferring means said bucket-elevating means having a member adapted to travel upon said frame-work and adapted to cooperate with said initially grain transferring means as said grain ele-v vator is actuated.

2. ln a grain elevator, the combination of an elevated drive-way frame-work, an endless bucket elevating means mounted upon said frame-work and provided at its receiving end with a boot to initially receive and transfer the grain to said elevating means, means for adjusting said elevating means into operative and inoperative position, and means for tilting a grain loaded conveyance to transfer the grain into said boot.

3. ln a grain elevator, the combination of a drive-way frame-work, an endless bucket elevating means mountedupon said framework, means applied to the receiving end of said drive-way frame-work for initially receiving the grain, means for effecting the raising and lowering said grain initially receiving' means and said endless bucket elevating means into operative and inoperative position said endless bucket elevating means including a member adapted to travel upon said drive-way framework, and means for tiltingl a grain-loaded conveyance to transfer the grain to said grain initially receiving means.

4L. In a grain elevator, the combination of a drive-way frame-work, an endless bucketelevating means mounted upon said framework, grainv initially receiving means arranged at the receiving end of said driveway frame-work, means for effecting the raising and lowering of said grain initially receiving means yand said endless belt of buckets, means applied to the receiving end of said frame-work drive-way for tilting the grain-conveying means to transfer the grain to said grain initially receiving lmeans, and means for supporting the shaft of the outer end of said endless belt of buckets, foldably mounted upon said driveway frame-work, additional shafts one being tubular and, having said shaft-foldable supporting means attached thereto, the other of said additional shafts extending through said tubular shaft and provided with means cooperative to rotate the shaft of the endless belt of buckets and with means for driving the shaft extending through said tubular shaft.v

ln testimony whereof 1 affix my signature,

. VLLIAM MCMEANS 

